Pantomime Villains Shine in Switzerland

Aston Villa kicked off their campaign in the newly-restructured 36-team Champions League with a cracking 3-0 win over BSC Young Boys.

September 17, 2024
7:07 am

In their first-ever meeting, the reigning Swiss Super League champions Young Boys came out swinging. Emiliano Martínez was called into action early, making some crucial saves from Filip Ugrinic’s free-kick and Ebrima Colley’s close-range effort within the first 12 minutes. Colley kept testing Villa’s defense, just missing the target with a powerful shot soon after.

Despite Young Boys’ early dominance, Villa struck against the run of play in the 27th minute. A well-executed set-piece, straight from coach Austin MacPhee’s playbook, saw Youri Tielemans expertly guide John McGinn’s delivery into the far corner. After Villa’s first-ever UCL goal, Ollie Watkins missed a golden chance to double the lead, sending his shot wide of the post.

Jacob Ramsey had a shot saved by David von Ballmoos, but luck was on his side moments later. A wayward back pass from Mohamed Ali Camara led to Von Ballmoos bringing down Watkins in the box, allowing Ramsey to tap into an empty net. Villa almost made it three shortly after, but Watkins’ half-volley was disallowed after VAR intervened for a handball.

Aiming for their first European win over Swiss opposition on away soil Villa kept pressing after the break. Tielemans once again forced Von Ballmoos into a smart save, and the Young Boys’ captain denied Ramsey shortly after with another fine stop. Villa had another goal ruled out in the final 10 minutes when Jhon Durán’s celebration was cut short due to a handball by Amadou Onana. But Onana redeemed himself with a stunning strike in the closing minutes, sealing Villa’s third goal of the night.

The 3-0 victory gives Villa a perfect start to their UCL journey, with Emery’s side set to play three Premier League games before resuming European action against Bayern Munich, a rematch of the 1982 final. For Young Boys, this defeat continues their struggle against English opposition in the competition, having won just once.